noun

code red

kohd RED

Code red (noun) means the highest level of emergency alert, declared when a situation is critical and demands immediate action; in hospitals it commonly signals a fire, and in other organisations the most serious class of incident. Example: “The ward went to code red the moment smoke was detected.”

noun

The highest level of emergency alert, declared when a situation is critical and demands immediate action; in hospitals it commonly signals a fire, and in other organisations the most serious class of incident.

"The ward went to code red the moment smoke was detected."

"Head office declared a code red after the outage hit every region."

informal Loosely, any situation treated as an all-hands crisis requiring everything else to be dropped.

"It is code red until the payment system is back up."

informal, euphemistic In informal use among some speakers, a coded way of referring to menstruation.

"She texted code red and asked me to bring supplies."

How to use code red

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe most serious kind of emergency, where everything stops and you deal with it now.

When to use it

Neutral in emergency and clinical use; informal and often hyperbolic in everyday speech.

Memory tip

Hospital colour codes vary by country and even by hospital. Never assume a code word means the same thing in a different building.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

code blue red alert code black

Common pairings

declare a code red go to code red code red alert a full code red

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The ward went to _____ the moment smoke was detected.

Etymology

From the colour-coded emergency alert systems used in hospitals and emergency services, in which red marks the most urgent category.

Origin: English

Synonyms

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red alert emergency crisis all-hands emergency crisis mode period time of the month

Antonyms

all clear code green

Related words

while days point season months age period stage

Rhymes for code red

entered tapered covered ordered altered powered layered watered revered angered severed catered

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Frequently asked questions

What does code red mean in a hospital?

In most hospital systems code red announces a fire or suspected fire, triggering evacuation and containment procedures. Codes are not fully standardised, so the exact meaning can differ between hospitals and countries — code blue for cardiac arrest is the most consistent across systems.

What is the difference between code red and code blue?

Code blue is a medical emergency for a specific patient, usually cardiac or respiratory arrest, and summons the resuscitation team. Code red is an environmental emergency affecting the building, most often fire. One is about a person, the other about the place.

Is code red used outside hospitals?

Widely. Weather services, air-quality agencies, militaries and companies all use it for their most severe alert level, and it has passed into ordinary speech for any all-out crisis.

What is the meaning of code red?

"code red" (noun) means the highest level of emergency alert, declared when a situation is critical and demands immediate action; in hospitals it commonly signals a fire, and in other organisations the most serious class of incident.

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